Novelisations, the transcription in book form of a successful movie are part of its merchandising. Such books are not really meant to survive the cycle of the film’s commercial exploitation. Their sell-by date is short. After that, they tend to simply vanish. They are seldom remembered. Much less conserved. Even their authors are obscure. The movie casts a long shadow. The novelisation is destined for oblivion. It is hardly a way for a writer to gain status. Nor literary recognition. The 1956 novel by Frédéric Dard Les Salauds vont en enfer (the Wicked go to Hell) however offers the curious case of a novelisation which has survived much longer than the film to which it owed its existence. Continue reading →